Tonight, Numb3rs finishes off its sixth season with episode 118, “Cause and Effect.” Will the show be back next season? A decision hasn’t been made yet but lots of people are betting that it will be cancelled.
Numb3rs follows FBI Agent Don Eppes (Rob Morrow) and his genius brother, Charlie (David Krumholtz), who helps the authorities solve cases with mathematics. The cast also features Judd Hirsch (as their father), Alimi Ballard, Dylan Bruno, Navi Rawat, Aya Sumika, and Peter MacNicol.
The series debuted in January 2005 and has long been a successful player for CBS on Friday nights. In season one, Numb3rs averaged a 3.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic and about 11.1 million viewers. They went up in season two, with an average of a 3.3 rating and 11.7 million viewers. Viewership has fallen since then however and last season, Numb3rs scored a 2.2 and 10.2 million.
This season, Numb3rs’ ratings have dropped further still — averaging a 1.8 rating and 8.26 million viewers each week. As a result of the decline in ratings, CBS (which is having a very good season) decided to cut back on the number of episodes and reduced their season order from 22 to 16 installments.
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The official reason for the decrease is that CBS had too much programming and needed space to try out new series. Next week, Numb3rs’ timeslot will be occupied by a new show, Miami Medical.
CBS has maintained that the fate of Numb3rs hasn’t been decided yet but, considering the series’ production costs and ratings, it seems fairly certain that the show is done.
In fact, ABC and FOX are betting on it. The networks have already cast Morrow and Krumholtz in new pilots.
Morrow will star in a dramatic pilot called The Whole Truth for ABC, opposite Joely Richardson. He’ll play a fiercely competitive and successful defense attorney who is close friends with his equally talented courtroom adversary (Richardson). Whole Truth is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
Meanwhile, Krumholtz has been cast in a comedy pilot for FOX called Tax Man. The project’s being produced by Ron Howard and stars Krumholtz as an IRS Agent who’s trying to find nobility in his work. Judy Greer recently joined the cast.
If CBS does decide to bring Numb3rs back for another season, both Morrow and Krumholtz will be obligated to return. However, the other networks wouldn’t cast them in new pilots unless they felt it was a very strong possibility that Numb3rs would indeed be cancelled.
What do you think? Would you like to see Numb3rs return for a seventh season or is it time to say goodbye to the Eppes?
Image courtesy CBS.
My fantasy would actually be for the BBC to do a 12-part series of Charlie and Amita working for Scotland Yard! That would be the perfect next chapter for me!
We thought it looked like a series ender but we’re hoping CBS will say it ain’t so. Where could you find another show where even the “formula” shows are entertaining, and where you actually get to think and learn a little something?!
The main characters and even a lot of the secondaries are refreshingly different…and oh, pleez, don’t send them to any new lawyer or medical shows…
The Epps are like part of our family and we will miss them a lot if they go…
Yes, I want numbers to return. I won’t whatever CBS replaces it with.
I love Numbers and I hope it won’t be cancelled. There are far too few series which actually challenge one intellectually. I loved how math helped solve crime. Having seen the finale which certainly wrapped up everyone’s plot line I’m afraid we have seen the last of this excellent series. I hope I am wrong.
I watched numbers from the pilot. It’s a great show. I loved the way the characters, especially Charlie, would explain the different math applications! Too bad. A really intelligent show going away!
Its not often that there is a show that promotes the ideals and uses for higher education in an entertaining way. As a fan of mathematics I enjoyed the show immensely. I find it a sad state of affairs that CBS keeps cancelling some of their best efforts and keeps some of the poorer renditions.
Or as my son said “What, are they idiots?”
like Hadley I too have all the episode on iTunes and watch over and over again when I get a change love the show since the beginning. I look forward to Friday’s just to watch Numb3rs. I hate to see to go. But that is typical of CBS.
My whole family enjoys this show. We never know what to expect. Too bad if it is cancelled, but the last episode was a good conclusion if it is.
It’s been a great run I have every episode on iTunes and will continue to watch. This is a series that would be interesting as a feature film. I would certainly give it a chance in a movie theatre (a MOW) would just be more of the same – better than nothing but I’d be interested in it as a big screen movie.
I thought the show lost its way after the first couple of seasons and was too pat and unimaginative for the next two. Only habit and the principal actors kept us along for the ride, though I noticed we’d sometimes have two episodes sitting in our DVR…We considered removing it from our record set list just as it rebounded nicely. Last year was a very pleasant surprise and this year more so. Unfortunately, I think the 3rd and 4th poisoned the well and it would have taken a real marketing push to get people interested enough to realize the changes… Read more »
we watch numbers since its been on tv . we would hate to see it end
I love numbers and never miss it, I either do things early on Friday night or after 11pm. I love every character and Navi Rawat is simply beautiful !!!!!
I love this show. I hope they bring it back for one more season.
How horrible that any network would consider cancelling such an excellent series as “Numb3rs.” My family and friends have enjoyed the show since its debut for its engaging personalities and interesting plots that actually make one think along with the characters instead of having everything delivered to us as if all us viewers are idiots. We are SO TIRED of reality shows, those that develop plots from news headlines, old themes, storylines similar to so many others already on TV, silly comedies with bad (not clever) punchlines, etc. Why do the networks think so many viewers have abandoned their programming.… Read more »
Because it’s CBS, I had no doubt when I watched Friday’s episode that it would be cancelled. This is the network that cancelled James Woods! CBS cancels a lot of fan favorites.
Now since people love “The Good Wife,” wait for that one to be on the chopping block just when it peaks! Typical CBS!